Read Online The Facts of Life and Death by Belinda Bauer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Belinda Bauer
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reckoned it served her right. This was all her fault. Her and her fancy man. What if
Mummy
wanted a divorce? What if Daddy left? What if they moved? What if she got a new Daddy she didn’t like?
At night she lay awake for hours, straining to decipher the voices from the next room. The soft bitterness that made her understand all the anger and all the fear, and none of the meaning, while the wind squealed and howled through the bathroom window, in a ghostly soundtrack to her misery.
School was seven hours a day when she didn’t know where Daddy was, so Ruby tried her very best not to go.
She had a belly ache; she had a broken foot; she couldn’t see out of one eye.
Mummy had all the answers. She gave Ruby peppermint cordial for her stomach, she rubbed Deep Heat on to her toes and threw a pair of balled-up socks at her.
‘There,’ she said. ‘You couldn’t catch those if you were blind in one eye, because of depth perception.’
But Ruby was dogged. ‘My chest hurts,’ she said. It didn’t right then, but it did quite often, so Ruby didn’t think of this as a lie. More like a postponement of the truth.
Mummy said nothing. She drew back the curtains, although it hardly made the room any lighter, the leaves and branches were that thick around the window. Then she sat down on the edge of the bed and took Ruby’s hand, but Ruby took it back.
‘Are you happy at school, Ruby?’
Ruby said yes, even though saying yes to that question was silly. Who was happy at school? Nobody, apart from Miss Sharpe, as far as she could see. But if she said no, then Mummy would know her chest wasn’t really hurting.
‘Nobody’s bullying you, are they?’
‘No,’ said Ruby, because if she said yes, Mummy might come up to the school and give Essie Littlejohn or the kids on the bus a row, or ask to speak to their parents. And then Ruby would be an even bigger target than she already was.
‘Let’s have a look at your chest then …’
Ruby pulled her Mickey Mouse T-shirt up to her armpits and Mummy peered down.
‘Why are you mean to Daddy?’ said Ruby.
Mummy looked surprised. She didn’t say anything for a little while – just pulled the T-shirt back down and patted Ruby’s tummy.
‘You know, Ruby, sometimes grown-ups have arguments, just like children do. It doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.’
Ruby thought about that for a moment, then said, ‘Daddy says he used to be your hero.’
Mummy nodded. ‘He was,’ she said. ‘He came along just when I needed him most.’
‘Don’t you need him now he hasn’t got a job?’
‘I—’
Mummy started and then stopped.
‘What?’
‘Nothing,’ said Mummy. ‘Listen. These are grown-up things, Ruby. I don’t want you worrying about them. Worrying is a mummy’s job!’ She was trying to make a funny joke of it, but Ruby didn’t smile back.
‘Up you get now,’ said Mummy.
‘But my
tummy
hurts.’
‘A minute ago it was your chest,’ said Mummy, and Ruby realized she’d blown it.
‘You have to go to school, Ruby,’ said Mummy. ‘You don’t want to grow up stupid, do you?’
‘I don’t care,’ said Ruby.
‘Well, I care,’ said Mummy. ‘Up you get.’
Ruby sighed and got up.
Mummy didn’t understand.
She
could get off the bus.
13
MISS SHARPE BOUGHT a
Gazette
and read the front page as she walked towards school.
POLICE WARN AFTER SECOND ‘ET ATTACK
Police have warned that the man responsible for two assaults on lone women in North Devon could ‘go too far’ and commit an even more serious crime.
In terrifying ordeals, the women were made to strip, while being threatened with violence by a man known as the ET attacker, because he makes his victims phone home.
Miss Sharpe took a moment to snort derisively. One man and his dog in the
Gazette
office might know him as ‘the ET attacker’ but nobody
normal
ever said rubbish like that.
Neither was physically harmed, but both were left traumatized by the encounter with the
Mummy
wanted a divorce? What if Daddy left? What if they moved? What if she got a new Daddy she didn’t like?
At night she lay awake for hours, straining to decipher the voices from the next room. The soft bitterness that made her understand all the anger and all the fear, and none of the meaning, while the wind squealed and howled through the bathroom window, in a ghostly soundtrack to her misery.
School was seven hours a day when she didn’t know where Daddy was, so Ruby tried her very best not to go.
She had a belly ache; she had a broken foot; she couldn’t see out of one eye.
Mummy had all the answers. She gave Ruby peppermint cordial for her stomach, she rubbed Deep Heat on to her toes and threw a pair of balled-up socks at her.
‘There,’ she said. ‘You couldn’t catch those if you were blind in one eye, because of depth perception.’
But Ruby was dogged. ‘My chest hurts,’ she said. It didn’t right then, but it did quite often, so Ruby didn’t think of this as a lie. More like a postponement of the truth.
Mummy said nothing. She drew back the curtains, although it hardly made the room any lighter, the leaves and branches were that thick around the window. Then she sat down on the edge of the bed and took Ruby’s hand, but Ruby took it back.
‘Are you happy at school, Ruby?’
Ruby said yes, even though saying yes to that question was silly. Who was happy at school? Nobody, apart from Miss Sharpe, as far as she could see. But if she said no, then Mummy would know her chest wasn’t really hurting.
‘Nobody’s bullying you, are they?’
‘No,’ said Ruby, because if she said yes, Mummy might come up to the school and give Essie Littlejohn or the kids on the bus a row, or ask to speak to their parents. And then Ruby would be an even bigger target than she already was.
‘Let’s have a look at your chest then …’
Ruby pulled her Mickey Mouse T-shirt up to her armpits and Mummy peered down.
‘Why are you mean to Daddy?’ said Ruby.
Mummy looked surprised. She didn’t say anything for a little while – just pulled the T-shirt back down and patted Ruby’s tummy.
‘You know, Ruby, sometimes grown-ups have arguments, just like children do. It doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.’
Ruby thought about that for a moment, then said, ‘Daddy says he used to be your hero.’
Mummy nodded. ‘He was,’ she said. ‘He came along just when I needed him most.’
‘Don’t you need him now he hasn’t got a job?’
‘I—’
Mummy started and then stopped.
‘What?’
‘Nothing,’ said Mummy. ‘Listen. These are grown-up things, Ruby. I don’t want you worrying about them. Worrying is a mummy’s job!’ She was trying to make a funny joke of it, but Ruby didn’t smile back.
‘Up you get now,’ said Mummy.
‘But my
tummy
hurts.’
‘A minute ago it was your chest,’ said Mummy, and Ruby realized she’d blown it.
‘You have to go to school, Ruby,’ said Mummy. ‘You don’t want to grow up stupid, do you?’
‘I don’t care,’ said Ruby.
‘Well, I care,’ said Mummy. ‘Up you get.’
Ruby sighed and got up.
Mummy didn’t understand.
She
could get off the bus.
13
MISS SHARPE BOUGHT a
Gazette
and read the front page as she walked towards school.
POLICE WARN AFTER SECOND ‘ET ATTACK
Police have warned that the man responsible for two assaults on lone women in North Devon could ‘go too far’ and commit an even more serious crime.
In terrifying ordeals, the women were made to strip, while being threatened with violence by a man known as the ET attacker, because he makes his victims phone home.
Miss Sharpe took a moment to snort derisively. One man and his dog in the
Gazette
office might know him as ‘the ET attacker’ but nobody
normal
ever said rubbish like that.
Neither was physically harmed, but both were left traumatized by the encounter with the
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